My Favorite Things Holiday Gift Exchange & Gift Guide for Her

A Few of My Favorite Things

Besides the office grab for over 10 years now, I have participated in a holiday gift exchange with a bunch of girlfriends scattered across the country. This year, we did something different - a "My Favorite Things" exchange. It's where you think of a favorite thing that you love (lipgloss, best candle you've ever found, fuzzy socks that you adore, chocolates you crave) and then buy multiples of that one thing for everyone in the exchange. So, you then everyone in the group receives multiple presents and everyone's favorite thing.

So, I thought, what do I like? Besides books, which are subjective and cats, which I can't very well send in the mail. I then narrowed it down to wine, chocolate and tea! I purchased whole leaf tea bags and individually wrapped dark chocolate mini bars from World Market and placed them inside a Tervis Wine Tumbler along with a note. Sadly, I'm now envious that I didn't make myself one too!

Tervis Stemless Wine Glasses
I love my Tervis tumbler's for water and their stemless wine glasses are especially great for messy red wine drinkers like me, lol. No fine glass to break or delicate stems to drop. These sturdy, unbreakable cups fit perfectly in your hand and keeps wine at the perfect temperature. I can bring them by the pool or to an outdoor concert or game too and not worry about breaking them. I'll drink to that! They are also  American-made and dishwasher safe for easy party clean-up. Oh, and they have clear, witty wine sayings, monograms, NFL and college team logos and floral design options to choose from. I went with the wine puns like Save Water, Drink Wine and Uncork & Unwind. Cheers! Easy housewarming or teacher gift or present for a coworker too! Price: $19.99 each.

Stocking Stuffers for Her

Whether I'm tweeting or trying to snap a photo for my blog, I drop my phone a LOT, but now not so much. Why? Because I added a simple Phone Loop to my case, a simple back-strap to help avoid unfortunate and expensive phone drops. It can be added to any case and easy to remove too. I like hooking my finger through it when I'm walking and talking on the phone too. CNET agrees and says it's "the best 6 bucks you can spend on your smartphone." This useful gift is only $4.99. Perfect for the stocking!

Softlips CUBE Vanilla Bean Lip Balm (I'm obsessed!)

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream (I also like Crabtree & Evelyn lotion tubes too, I keep them in my desk).

essie 2016 holiday mini kit nail polish

Soxxy unisex compression socks are the perfect gift for the traveler, athlete, and mom on the go. Soxxys energize your legs, decrease swelling and reduce the risk of DVT. I like their navy ones with a plane on it, very PanAm retro. For 30% off, use coupon code: SOX16.

Purse sized hand sanitizers from Bath & Body Works or the yummy holiday smelling Marshmallow Fireside candle in mini size.

Gifts for Her

Straight and frizz-free hair in just several minutes with a Hair Straightener Brush. I found this to be easier and gentler on my hair than a traditional flat iron, quicker too. Simply brush your hair at a sloewr pace and it leaves behind a smooth finish. I have the version from USpicy that sells on Amazon for under $30 and comes with a glove to protect your hand from the heating tool.

I had received a lovely glass jar of colorfully wrapped Chocolate Covered Oreo Cookies from Shari’s Berries and not only were they delicious, but they made a lovely centerpiece during the holidays and ideal for holiday entertaining. It' a perfect hostess gift too.

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Holiday Gift Guide for PreSchool Boys

Holiday Gift Guide for PreSchool Boys

a.k.a what my 4-year-old twins are getting (shhh!)

Hot Wheels 7” Tablet Powered by Nabi 
The Hot Wheels 7” Tablet Powered by Nabi comes with several Hot Wheels screens and preloaded content, including “Hot Wheels Labs” where kids can watch videos about the science of hot wheels cars - resistance, friction and gravity. In addition, the tablet has over 25 apps and games already loaded onto the device. It runs on the latest Android OS and comes with Google Play, so parents can access over one million additional apps, games, music, movies, books, and more as your child gets older. The tablet comes with a custom orange bumper for protection and durability, so no need to buy an additional case. Besides watching Hot Wheels videos my boys mainly play with the Hot Wheels activity pack featuring a coloring book, a puzzle and a matching game. Oh, and there is a front and back camera that they were posing and taking photos with.

Overall, as a parent looking to invest in a kids tablet, this one is affordable and won’t set you back extra with additional app purchases either. Nabi also makes an American Girl, Barbie and a Fisher-Price themed tablet for the same reasonable price. Ages: 3+ Price: $79.90 at Amazon.


Disney Mickey Mouse Express Ready-to-Play Train Set 
What’s a Christmas tree without a holiday train set? And this locomotive is uber adorable. All aboard the Mickey Mouse Express, featuring iconic Disney characters dressed in their holiday best. It’s a perfect set to run under the tree, bringing a dose of holiday cheer and providing families with an annual tradition for holidays to come.

The ready-to-play set comes with the train locomotive and cars, easy to connect interlocking tracks with various layout options and a RC remote control with easy-to-use buttons for even preschoolers to get their hands on. The train features a battery-powered general-style car driven by Mickey with accompanying authentic train sounds. Ages: 4+ Price: $79.99 on Amazon.


Super Wings World Airport Playset  
It's Fly Time! My kids and I enjoy watching the show Super Wings, which is why I was excited to see this airport playset from Auldey Toys. Seen in each episode the airport sets the stage for the ultimate playset for preschool boys and girls. Basically, it's a Barbie dream house for boys. It's large too! The 35-inch scale delivers loads of fun, with electronic sounds and lights plus tons of activities for kids to recreate their favorite Super Wings scenes with mini-transforming characters Jett and Donnie. The figures can attach to the fly-around balance bar and spin them to circle the World Airport before they come in for a landing. Load Jett into the elevator and lift him up to the Control Tower, then launch him down the ramp. Flip open the base compartments to reveal a rotating luggage carousel and a cargo scale too. Batteries are included! Age: 3+ MSRP: $35.99

LeapFrog Leaping Letters 
This interactive game teaches letters and is fun for the whole family to play. Kids race against the clock to put the letters in their proper spots before time runs out otherwise they go POP! The timer can be adjusted to accommodate players of all skill levels and ages to play. The level of difficulty can easily be increased as well with color-coded letter pieces that advance the game to word building and kids can start forming words with add-on activity cards. We aren't there yet, but it's great seeing them race to build the alphabet. This toy also builds matching and fine motor skills too. Surprisingly, no batteries are required and there are no noises except the slight ticking noise the timer makes. Hopefully future editions will include some fun sound effects too, but for now at least this isn’t another musical toy to get on mommies nerves or go off in the middle of the night and scare the bejeezus out of me. Ages: 3-6 Price: $14.99

Toymail Talkie

Between my husband and I, one of us is often traveling and although FaceTime makes it easier for us, the Toymail Talkie makes it more fun for kids. This quirky looking monster plush provides screen-free messaging let's kids exchange voice messages with their friends and family. Talkies can communicate with smartphones and tablets via the accompanying free Toymail app for IOS, Android, Kindle, through which you approve which contacts can connect and participate. Kids do not need to use a screen to play and record their own messages though. While I was on a recent press trip, I used it to leave daily messages for my boys. They would wake up to press the toy to hear what I had to say each day before they went to school. It was like a game to them like searching for the Elf on the Shelf each morning, but at the same time, I was able to participate even though I was in another state.  Great for long-distance relatives and grandparents to communicate with kids too. $59.99 and available in three different animal creatures and colors.

For MORE ideas including STEM toys and gifts for older kids and tweens, check out my 2016 Techlicious.com holiday gift guide. 

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